ECW Hardcore TV 12/27/1997

Written by: Bob Colling

Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 12/27/1997
From: Buffalo, NY & Philadelphia, PA

Matches:
1.) Rob Van Dam & Sabu defeated ECW Television Champion Taz & Tommy Dreamer
2.) Axl Rotten & Balls Mahoney defeated Lou Martoni & Wild Bill
3.) Tommy Rogers & Jerry Lynn defeated Little Guido & Tracy Smothers
4.) ECW Television Champion Taz fought Tommy Dreamer to a no contest

Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) ECW Television Champion Taz makes his way out to the ring to cut a promo. Taz mentions that five months ago he made a pact with Tommy Dreamer to be partners. However, that was only if Dreamer challenged him for the championship. They are back in Buffalo and they are going to give the fans what they promised. Taz promises that Dreamer will be just another victim.

2.) Sandman and Dreamer baseball slide RVD and Sabu on the floor for the early advantage. Sabu works over Dreamer in the corner and hits a springboard heel kick for a two count. Sabu hits a slingshot somersault leg drop on Dreamer. Sandman is sent into the railing by RVD. Dreamer boots Sabu and connects with a bulldog out of the corner. Dreamer delivers a side Russian leg sweep. RVD leg drops Dreamer. Sabu dives into the crowd to take out Dreamer as this match has been clipped. RVD takes Sandman out with a somersault dive to the floor. Dreamer grabs a ladder and the ladder is sent into RVD and Sabu. RVD is sent into the ladder and Sandman misses a somersault splash. RVD monkey flips Dreamer out of the corner to keep control of the match. Sandman tosses the ladder into RVD’s face. Sandman scoop slams Sabu. Dreamer and Sandman hit a splash/leg drop combo. They do the same to RVD. Dreamer and Sandman hit stereo piledrivers for a two count as Alfonso breaks up the cover.

Beulah gets in the ring and chases after Alfonso around ringside. Jeff Jones comes down and yells at Beulah ejecting her from the ring. Jones trips Beulah from the floor and tries to take her backstage. Sandman gets met with a splash and leg drop combo. Dreamer gets met with the same move. Sabu has a ladder and sends the ladder into a chair right into Dreamer’s broken heel. Sabu tosses Sandman into the ladder face first. Sabu leg drops Sandman’s head between a ladder with a chair. Sandman is helped backstage. RVD has a surfboard on Dreamer, but Sabu smashes RVD on accident with the chair. Sabu whacks Dreamer’s foot with a chair.

ECW Television Champion Taz makes his way out to answer Alfonso’s claim that nobody could beat his guys. Taz is replacing Sandman, apparently. Taz takes Sabu down and RVD helps out with stomps. RVD dropkicks Taz as Sabu had control on the mat. Taz ducks a kick by RVD and hits an overhead suplex. Taz tosses RVD with a German suplex. Taz stops Dreamer from going to the top and instead Taz comes off the top to put RVD through a table with a somersault splash. Stevie Richards comes out and superkicks Dreamer! Taz confronts Richards but Sabu gets the Taz Mission on Taz! Taz hooks the tiop rope and won’t go down. RVD hits the frog splash on Dreamer and manages to get a three count! (NR. They clearly showed a good portion of the match, but it is a clipped version. The action was enjoyable and the right team won.)

3.) A video package promoting Al Snow, who is yelling at Head for taking too long of a shower.

4.) ECW World Champion Shane Douglas is backstage with Francine and the ECW Tag Team Champions Chris Candido and Lance Storm. Douglas has his arm in a sling. Douglas says they do it better than the Four Horsemen, which I’m assuming because it was censored. Douglas has thrown down a championship that had so much history behind it. Douglas is 34 and has dominated the business already. Candido and Storm have become the best tag team in wrestling. Candido doesn’t let Storm do the Triple Threat taunt.

5.) As expected, Rotten and Mahoney dominate their opponents this week. They win the enhancement match after vicious unprotected chair shots.

6.) Lynn and Guido start off the tag match. Guido bails to the floor as this match appears to be clipped, as well. Lynn gets control with a headlock on the mat after a drop toe hold. Lynn hits a tilt a whirl backbreaker on Guido. Rogers monkey flips Smothers and Lynn gets a two count after a crossbody. Guido drops Lynn throat first over the top after a knee strike by Smothers from behind. Tommy Rich crotches Lynn over the railing. Guido tries to get a pin on Lynn but can’t keep Lynn down long enough. Guido takes Lynn down with a snap suplex followed by a knee drop. Rogers enters and cleans house with a dropkick and strikes. Rogers backdrops Guido and decks Smothers to the mat, too. Rogers heads to the top rope hitting a missile dropkick on Smothers for a two count. Guido works over Rogers, but Rogers hits the Un-Prettier. Rich clotheslines Lynn and Rogers hits the move on Rich, too. Smothers stops Rogers with a leaping sidekick. Smothers comes off the top and nails Lynn with an uppercut. Rogers hits a third Un-Prettier on Smothers for the win. (**. I’m digging Tommy Rogers and I think a team with Jerry Lynn could lead to some fun matches. If they were to wrestle Storm & Candido I think that would lead to fun bouts.)

7.) Taz and Dreamer start off trading some basic moves from the standing position. They miss clotheslines and have a standoff. Taz takes Dreamer over with a headlock but Dreamer reaches the ropes quickly. Taz leg sweeps Dreamer to the mat and twists Dreamer’s injured heel. Dreamer puts an arm bar on Taz. Taz takes Dreamer down with a backdrop suplex. Taz clubs Dreamer with several strikes on the apron. Dreamer drops Taz throat first over the top rope. Dreamer delivers more strikes while Taz was on the apron. Taz clotheslines on the floor. Dreamer sends Taz into the ring post. Dreamer decks Taz with a chair shot. Dreamer snapmares Taz onto a chair and delivers a leg drop. Dreamer heads to the top rope, but Taz crotches Dreamer. Taz takes Dreamer off the middle rope with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Taz runs into a boot in the corner and Dreamer connects with a bulldog. Taz ducks a clothesline, but Dreamer hits a side Russian leg sweep. Taz tosses Dreamer to the mat. Taz controls Dreamer with an ankle lock but Taz reaches the ropes. Taz stomps on Dreamer’s foot. Dreamer tries for a DDT, but Taz counters with the Taz Mission! Dreamer reaches the ropes and low blows Taz. Dreamer plants Taz with a DDT for a two count. Dreamer sends Taz back first into the guard railing. Dreamer has a steel chair in the ring. Dreamer tries for a baseball slide, but misses. Taz tosses Dreamer with a t-bone suplex through the table on the floor!

Sabu runs into the ring along with RVD and they attack Taz hitting a splash/leg drop combo. The bell is sounding as this match has been thrown out. Taz is worked over in the corner, but Taz tosses RVD with a German suplex. Dreamer brawls with Sabu on the floor. Brakkus comes down to ringside to watch Taz. Brakkus gets on the apron along with Sabu and RVD. Sandman has come to the ring to have a fair face off to end the program. (**. There was some decent action throughout, but the no finish was rather disappointing. It’s the same kind of stuff we see from WCW, which ECW loves to make fun of.)

Final Thoughts:
I enjoyed the episode as there was enough quality action to hold my interest. Taz really needs some better challengers as the last two have been rather lackluster (Pitbull and now apparently Brakkus). Al Snow’s rise is so much fun to see, too.

Thanks for reading.